AIR POLLUTIONThe reduction of urban greenery automatically leads to a reduction in the capacity to remove harmful substances from the air at the living level. The level of air pollution is and remains an important environmental problem, especially when considering the harmful effects on human health.

NEEDED TREES PER RESIDENTPartly because of its trees, the historic city center has been on the UNESCO World Heritage List since 2010. Amsterdam has an estimated 1 million trees, of which around 230,000 are owned by the municipality. The city assumes 270,000 avenue and street trees, which means approximately one tree per three inhabitants. Now that seems a lot, but if we want to provide ourselves with our own oxygen via trees, we need 7 trees per inhabitant. (https://www.sciencefocus.com/planet-earth/how-many-trees-does-it-take-to-produce-oxygen-for-one-person/)

MUNICIPAL MANAGEMENTIn the previous meetings, according to the minutes, the municipal administration has previously been accused of missing a long-term vision, the lack of the results of tree, air quality and noise research, and systematically ignoring requests and wishes with regard to the environment, safety and quality of life. And with the current plans compared to the statistics, I can only conclude that the municipal is failing here.

The Boomwacht tree report shows that the trees can simply remain standing and that there is no immediate reason for replacement. Given the heat measurements on the Rozengracht, it is desirable that mature trees remain because of their cooling qualities.

According to TU Delft, a mature tree provides cooling equivalent to 10 air conditioners (https://eenvandaag.avrotros.nl/item/een-boom-geeft-net-zo-veel-verkoeling-als-tien-aircos/). Moreover, larger trees also absorb more particulate matter. All plants and vegetation remove fine dust and gaseous pollution from the air. Some plant species and types of vegetation do this better than others. Trees have a lot of leaves and are an obstacle to the wind. This makes trees the most effective at filtering pollution from the air and influencing air concentrations.

In addition to the cooling effect and particulate matter, we must also take into account the fact that the population group around the Rozengracht is more vulnerable to heat stress, for this reason a special plan from the GGD has been set up for this (https://www.ggd.amsterdam.nl/gezond-wonen/hittetips/).

More green means less flooding. The large trees on the Rozengracht contribute to the prevention of flooding (https://maps.amsterdam.nl/rainproof/). As you can see in the measurement below, the status at Frederik Hendrikstraat is currently very urgent, especially now that all trees have been felled. Two blocks further from the Rozengracht, on the second Laurierdwarsstraat, you also see an urgent area for flooding. The preservation of large trees is of great importance for the evaporation of water, which cools in the summer and drains in the winter (https://www.rainproof.nl/nieuws/wat-doet-een-boom-met-water).

TRAFFIC & TRANSITION TO ELECTRICRoad traffic is primarily responsible for the poor quality of air in the city and causes standards for air quality to be exceeded. Amsterdam has been struggling with these standards for years. We are the city with the most taxis and every resident on the Rozengracht knows how fast and unsafe they drive there. City councils must take far-reaching measures to reduce the progressive air pollution in busy city areas.

MASS TREE FELLINGThe fight against climate change requires more forest that can process CO₂. Yet every year more forest is harvested than is planted. Since 2013, the Dutch forest has declined annually by 1350 hectares. On average 3036 hectares of forest have disappeared each year, which is only partly offset by the annual planting of 1686 hectares of new forest.

This fits within the policy of Staatsbosbeheer and Natuurmonumenten and the agreements made in the Natura 2000 policy plan (https://www.rijksoverheid.nl/onderwerpen/natuur-en-biodiversiteit/natura-2000). Both organizations cut large plots of forest every year to make way for heath and drift dunes. Our legislation clearly states that you must replace a tree with a tree, unless you turn it into a different landscape. In this case collective efforts have now been made to restore the dune landscape from 1900, but few people realize that Europe was still covered by huge forests in the mid-18th century.

This new policy helps in any case with the European directive to reduce our CO van emissions by 20% by 2020 compared to 1990, in 2011 we were the most polluting country in Europe. According to the EU guidelines, the massive tree felling and biomass that the Netherlands produces are CO₂ neutral. Result; in the Netherlands cutting is now faster than in the Amazon (https://demonitor.kro-ncrv.nl/artikelen/nederland-ontbost-verhoudingsgewijs-meer-dan-het-amazonegebied). Currently 90% of all green electricity in the Netherlands from biomass. Shall we now meet the mandatory EU directives?

With the monofocus on 100% electric and sustainable Dutch energy, we ignore real solutions for people and the environment.SMART SOLUTIONS & FINANCIAL COSTSI would like to know from you if the municipality intends to provide the Rozengracht with SMART technologies, I am referring to the upcoming implementation of the 5G network, where the municipality is obliged to cooperate, among other things by installing 5G technology in LED street lighting (https://m.binnenlandsbestuur.nl/nieuws/gemeenten-verplicht-mee-te-werken-aan-5g.236875.lynkx). Are you aware of this? What are the plans for this with regard to the Rozengracht?

In addition to the harmful health effects, SMART solutions will also incur more costs, entirely against the EU regulations whereby energy price increases must be controlled (https://www.europa-nu.nl/id/vhesf063wxu9/europese_aanpak_klimaatverandering). If SMART technologies are implemented, has it been established by the municipality of Amsterdam that this will not lead to more energy costs for the citizen? If so, by whom? And where can I find this report?

We can expect that the board has read into relevant matters such as the above.

If you do not know the above reports, we assume that you, as the responsible director, are aware of this yourself, the links to these reports are clearly stated behind the sentences. If something is still unclear, I request that you contact me immediately so that I can explain it to you. If you do not, I assume that everything is clear and understood.

NOTICE OF DEFAULTIn view of the above, I ask Amsterdam to immediately stop harvesting and to demonstrate that it has taken into account all aspects mentioned above for each felled tree, how it did this and how it provided for the replanting of each felled tree ( of equal value in size, function, etc.).

As long as Amsterdam has (and / or does not give) an answer to these questions and it appears that tree felling is still continuing, I am forced, together with the whole of tree loving Amsterdam, to hold the city and decision-makers personally liable for all consequences and damage caused by it.

To this end, I call on the attendees / readers to report every tree felled after today (12 September 2019) (demonstrably, with data, photos, etc.). To report to elizabethplokker@theconsciousclub.nl under the name Tree Felling Amsterdam.

Amsterdam can no longer continue to finance the massive demolition, systematically ignoring flora, fauna and the health and quality of life of its citizens.